Report highlighting COVID’s effect on children to go before Toronto’s Board of Health today

A report from the city’s top doctor detailing the impact of COVID-19 on school-aged children will go before the Toronto Board of Health on Monday.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa will make recommendations to address the ongoing effects and inequities created by the pandemic.

The report shows that while young people have generally experienced less severe outcomes from COVID-19 infection, they have been hit with a wide range of physical and mental health impacts as a result of school closures.

“The COVID-19 pandemic led to multiple interruptions to in-person learning for Toronto’s children and youth resulting from both school closures and loss of educational days due to illness and isolation requirements,” reads the report.

“Although these and other public health measures were necessary to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and its associated health impacts, evidence shows that they had unintended impacts for many children in the areas of mental health, substance use, nutrition, physical activity, and negative impacts on their access to dental health services and vaccines against preventable diseases.”

Toronto hospitals have seen an increase in emergency room visits related to self-harm among children. There were 467 visits in the 15 months before the pandemic compared to 606 in the first 15 months since the pandemic began.

In a 2020 Toronto District School Board survey that assessed children’s mental health, 30 per cent of students reported worries of dealing with fear and anxiety, and 21 per cent expressed the need for more mental health supports.

De Villa is recommending that Toronto Public Health works with the province and local school boards to conduct more research and establish a baseline for mental health. The report also recommends developing short and long-term approaches to promote the mental health and well-being of children.

Among other recommendations, have the city request the province provide resources to address a backlog in immunization and dental screening programs in schools, request the Ministry of Health implement an electronic registry for vaccinations, and request the ministry work with all public health units and stakeholders to provide better access to vaccine for children.

The detailed report comes as COVID-19 cases surge across the province with new data showing more people are becoming reinfected with the virus.